Hulu For Free: 3 Discounts And Deals To Stream Your Favorite Shows
If you're like most Americans, streaming is a part of your daily life. While streaming was initially heralded as a cheap alternative to cable and satellite TV, if you subscribe to several streaming services, your bills can quickly add up. In a perfect world, one platform would offer all the content we wanted for a flat monthly fee, but in the real world, that just isn't the case.
With each streaming service producing original content that's not available outside of their platform, it's hard not to subscribe to multiple services. After all, you need Disney Plus to watch "The Mandalorian," Netflix to watch "The Squid Game," and Prime to watch "The Boys." All of that is before we even get to Hulu.
Hulu has made a name for itself with its massive on-demand library that includes classic shows like "The Wonder Years" and original programming like "The Bear." For those willing to pay for more than the Hulu basic plan, the service also has a live TV option with over 90 channels, making it just about as close as one can get to cable and satellite TV, especially if you select the Disney Bundle.
As good as that may sound, the price can add up quickly, costing you close to $100 per month. If Hulu is your only streaming service, that may be reasonable. However, add in others, and for many, the price is too high. The good news is there are a few ways you can get Hulu for free.
Take advantage of Hulu's 30 day free trial
Like many streaming platforms, Hulu has a free trial that lets you explore the service and stream all you want for a month without committing to a subscription. If you're new to Hulu, this is the easiest way to find out if it's right for you. Unfortunately, the month-long trial is only valid for the ad-supported and ad-free plans; there's no option for the Hulu + Live TV plan. You will have to hand over your credit card details to start the trial, and remember to cancel your plan before the free month is over to avoid being charged.
Once your free trial is up, you can either subscribe to Hulu or wait a few months until you're eligible for another free trial with the same account. Another option is creating a new account and using a different credit card to get another free trial. Signing up for a free trial on Hulu is pretty straightforward using the Hulu website or app. All you have to do is create an account, choose the plan you want, and provide your credit card information to get started.
Get a Spotify Premium Student account
If you're a college student, you can get the ad-supported version of Hulu for free when you sign up for a Spotify Premium Student account. With this plan, Hulu is discounted to $5.99 after the first free month, a savings of up to $12.99 per month for both services. Spotify uses SheerID to confirm your college or university enrollment, a process that could take several days. Once your student status is verified, you'll get to enjoy everything Spotify Premium and Hulu offer, including audiobooks, listening to millions of songs offline, and your favorite TV shows and movies.
You'll have access to your Premium Student account for 12 months after you first subscribe and will have to re-verify your eligibility once a year to continue using it. Spotify has placed a four-year limit on the student account. When your four years are up, or you don't re-verify, Spotify will automatically migrate your student subscription to the Spotify Premium Individual plan at the full price. If you don't want that to happen, be sure to cancel your account before your student discount period ends.
Sign up for T-Mobile's Go5G Next plan
On January 24, 2024, T-Mobile began including a free subscription to Hulu's ad-supported service with its Go5G Next plan. The "Hulu On US" promotion is only valid for 12 months, and you'll have to cancel it within that period to avoid having it auto-renew at $7.99 per month. Both new and current T-Mobile customers with accounts in good standing can take advantage of the offer. However, if you switch to a new T-Mobile plan, you'll lose access to the Hulu deal. Hulu joins Netflix with ads, Apple TV+, and MLB.TV as part of the streaming services included in the Go5G Next plan. All of that adds up to a savings of $35 per month or $400 per year.
You can sign up for T-Mobile Go5G Next to access Hulu On US in a few short steps, or if you're a current Hulu Customer, follow these steps to redeem the offer:
- Visit T-Moobile's promotion site.
- Scroll down and click on Continue.
- From the drop-down menu, select I am a T-Mobile Customer or I am a T-Mobile Business Customer.
- Log into your account, enter the requested information, and click submit.
After completing those steps, you'll be redirected to Hulu to redeem your offer. You must activate your Hulu account within 30 days.